Australia: Magnificent Melbourne!

Melbourne, Melbourne, Melbourne – where to start? After travelling for 30 odd hours from Beverley, East Yorkshire to the other side of the world I wanted…… I needed to be greeted by something amazing, bordering on magical and Melbourne did not disappoint. We went mid-September and knew we were taking a gamble with the weather we may encounter. Unfortunately, the weather gods were not on our side for the first few days of our holiday and we faced Baltic 6 degree conditions. This completely made a mockery of the backpack of summer clothes I’d lugged over 10,000 miles.

Night time ariel view of Melbourne, Australia from Eureka Skydeck 88

As if a little thing like frostbite (joke) was going to stop us exploring this fantastic city. We stayed at the Travelodge (nothing like the Travelodges in the UK) which is on the Southbank of the city right next door to the Eureka Skydeck 88 and close to a number of very contemporary bars and restaurants, our favourite being The Left Bank right on the bank of the Yarra River. Melbourne felt like home from the second I stepped out of the hotel and not just because of the cold weather 🙂 Something about it feels very English and it made me feel very comfortable being there.

The Melbourne Star – observation wheel

Mr ESLT and I were in a lucky position that we travelled to Australia on holiday with quite a large pot of savings under our belt. This meant that we could indulge in many of the delights Melbourne had to offer as things are not cheap in fact I’d say the cost of eating and drinking out is more expensive than in the UK. you are looking at $10 (around £5.20) for a glass of wine! Oh well, our money was to spend not to save and we enjoyed numerous glasses of wine (hic!).

Flinders Street Train Station, Melbourne

The modern contemporary buildings and skyline of Melbourne are only part of this amazing city. The colonial buildings are sights to behold together with Queen Victoria Market which is one of the oldest areas in the City. We had a few rides on the trams that run all over the City and also took the hop on, hop off bus which takes you to the main sites including the Docklands Area, Melbourne Zoo and St Kilda. We chose, because of time, a 24-hour ticket however you can get one for 48 hours if you wish. We found the commentary available on the buses very useful and gave us a lot of information about the buildings we were seeing and the areas we were passing.

Tram in Melbourne, Australia

Not only did we start our month long Aussie adventure in Melbourne but we also ended it there staying in the ridiculously amazing Crown Towers! Wow! One of, if not, the most stunning hotels I have ever stayed in. I wish we had spent more than 24 hours there and if we ever go back to Melbourne I will 100% save like a crazy woman and stay there for a full week with the likelihood being I wouldn’t even leave the room!

My Melbourne Top 5:

The Melbourne skyline: stand on the Southbank of the Yarra River and look across to the City Centre. The skyline is amazing especially at sunset/night when all of the skyscrapers/high rises are lit up and the lights reflect on the water of the river.

The Eureka Skydeck 88: The tallest building in Melbourne, 360-degree views of the city with the highest viewing platform in the Southern Hemisphere. We did this at sunset which allowed us to see the city at night.

The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant: According to Tripadvisor this is the number 1 restaurant in South Melbourne and I can completely understand why. Gorgeous, well cooked and presented food, friendly, humorous and professional staff, never an empty glass (all included in the price) and the lovely surroundings of the tram car. Possibly the best meal we had in Australia!

Once: or any show. I love a show and when I saw that we could see one in Melbourne I was very excited. We went to see this show on our last night in Australia and loved every second of it. Great way of taking my mind off the monster flight that lay ahead.

People watching: Maybe on my list because I’m quite nosey but come on aren’t we all? Pull up a chair or sit on a bench, take a few minutes out from exploring and sit and watch the world go by.

Vicky & Chris

Thanks for joining us (Vicky & Chris, a married couple from Yorkshire, England) as we Eat, Sleep, Love and Travel our way around the world! Between us, we have been to 75 countries (long may the list grow!)

We have been travelling together since January 2007 when we took our first trip only two weeks from our first meeting to Florence, Italy.